Chair structure



Jan. 20, 1942. cs. D. SCHERMERHORN 2,270,552

CHAIR STRUCTURE Filed July 24, 1939 2 sheets sheet 1 INVENTOR. Ifieo/yefl Jce/w/e/fa/W ATTORNEYS.

Jan. 1942- G. D. SCHERMERHORN 2, 70,562

CHAIR STRUCTURE Filed July 24, 1939 r 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

BY g b'M/f ATTORNEYJ.

Patented Jan. 20, 1942 UNITED STATES'PATENT OFFICE CHAIR STRUCTUREGeorge D. Schermerhorn, Reading, Mich.

Application July 24, 1939, Serial No. 286,105

4 Claims. (0]. 155-142) This invention relates to improvements infolding chairs and particularly to improved means for releasably lockingthe chair in the folded relationship.

More specifically, an object is to provide a folding chair having a pairof front legs and a pair of rear legs and a seat supported upon a pivotrod extending between the front legs, which pivot rod is provided with abearing portion at each end between the side rail of the seat and theadjacent front leg and means is provided coupling each rear leg with theseat, which means has a portion adapted upon the folding of the chair toenter the space between the corresponding front leg and the adjacentside rail of the seat and. to releasably engage the bearing portion ofthe seat pivot rod to hold the chair in folded relationship.

The invention is illustrated as embodied in a folding chair of theY-type provided with a pair of uprights which serve as front legs and apair of rear legs pivoted to the uprights to fold thereagainst or to beoutspread rearwardly therefrom. The seat is supported upon a pivot rodbetween the front legs and means pivotally couples each rear leg withthe adjacent side rail of the seat. The seat pivot rod is provided ateach end between the side rail of the seat and the corresponding frontleg with a bearing portion preferably in the form of a roller adapted,upon the folding of the chair, to be releasably engaged by a lockingpart carried by the corresponding rear leg to releasably lock the chairin the folded relationship. Such locking part may be formed as a notchedportion of the means which couples each rear leg with the adjacent siderail of the seat and which notched portion is adapted upon the foldingof the chair to enter the space between the corresponding front leg andthe adjacent side rail of the seat to accomplish its locking engagement.

In one embodiment of my invention the side rails of the seat areprovided with slots disposed rearwardly of the seat pivot rod. Each rearleg is provided with a bracket having a pivot engaging in the slot ofthe adjacent side rail of the seat. Such bracket has a notched portionwhich projects forwardly and is adapted upon the folding of the chair toenter the space between the corresponding front leg and the adjacentside rail of the seat and to ride over the bearing roller disposedbetween said corresponding front 'leg and the side rail of the seat andto engage therewith to releasably lock the chair in the foldedrelationship.

In another embodiment each rear leg is coupled with the seat by means ofa link pivoted at one end to the leg and at the opposite end to theadjacent side rail of the seat. Such link has a notched portion that,upon the folding of the chair, enters the space between thecorresponding front leg and the adjacent side rail of the seat and ridesover the bearing roller of the seat pivot rod and engages therewith tolock the chair in the folded relationship.

Other objects, advantages, and meritorious features of this inventionwill more fully appear from the following specification, appendedclaims,

and accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a chair embodying my invention with thechair disposed in the occupant supporting position,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the chair shown in Fig. 1 and with thechair disposed in the folded relationship,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of the locking bracket,

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a chair embodying a slightly modified formof my invention with the chair shown in occupant supporting position,

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the chair shown in Fig. 5 but with thechair shown in the folded relationship,

Fig. '7 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 6, and

Fig. 8 is a perspective of the link which couples the rear leg of thechair of Fig. 5 and the seat which is provided with the locking portionforming a part of my improvement.

In the two embodiments of my invention illustrated in the drawings thechair shown is of the Y-type and has a pair of uprights or front legsIll braced apart at the top by a back l2 and at the bottom by a crosspiece M. A seat pivot rod l6 extends between these front legs and uponwhich is mounted a seat l8 having supporting side rails 20. The seat isof such a width as to provide a space between each side rail and. thefront leg and the seat pivot rod is provided with a bearing member inthe form of a roller I! mounted thereon between the side rail of theseat and the adjacent front leg. A rail 22 of channel form extends alongthe rear edge of the seat between the side rails 20.

There is provided a pair of rear legs 24 braced apart near their lowerends by a cross rod 26. Each rear leg is pivoted at its upper end to thecorresponding front leg by an L-shaped bracket -28 secured originally tothe rear leg but pivoted by a pin 30 to the front leg as shown in thefigures of the drawings.

Each rear leg is also coupled with the seat. As here shown each siderail 20 of the seat is provided with a slot 32. This slot extends from apoint spaced rearwardly of the seat pivot I6 toward the rear end of theside rail and terminates at its rear end in a downwardly extendingnotched portion 33. Each rear leg is provided with a bracket member 34securely fixed thereto as by having a part which encircles the rear legand is rivetted thereto by a rivet 36. This bracket has a forwardlyextending offset portion 38. A pivot rod 40 extends between theforwardly offset portions of the two brackets which are secured to thetwo rear legs and this pivot rod extends through the slots 32 in the twoside rails of the seat. The pivot rod is shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The forwardly extending portion of the bracket .38 is notched as at 42to ride over the roller 11 as shown in Fig. 4. The parts springsufficiently and resistingly so that the notched portion of the bracketwill ride over the roller and the roller will seat within the notch 42and releasably hold the chair in the folded relationship.

In the construction of Figs. to 8, inclusive,

the seat l8 supported upon side rails 20 is pivoted between the frontlegs upon the seat pivot rod [6 and said front legs are braced apart atthe bottom by cross rod l4 and at the top by a back l2, all as describedin connection with the construction of Figs. 1 to 5. The rear legs 24braced apart by the cross rod 26 are pivoted to the front legs by abracket portion 29 in a manner similar to that described in connectionwith the structure of Figs. 1 to 5 but differing in detail therefrom. Inthese figures the bracket 29 is fixed by a rivet 3| to the front legsand is pivoted to the rear legs by a rivet 35 as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.Each of the legs may be provided with a cushion foot I l as shown in theseveral figures. The seat l8 of Figs. 5 and 6 is provided with a rearrail 22 extending along its rear edge and connected with the side railsall as described in connection with the structure of Figs. 1 and 2. Inthis construction also the seat pivot rod I6 is provided with rollers I!as hereinabove described.

In the structure of Figs. 5 to 8 each rear leg is pivotally articulatedwith the seat through means of a link 46 which is pivoted at one end asat 48 to the rear leg and at the opposite end as at 50 to the side railof the seat. This link has a projecting portion provided with a notch52. When the chair is folded this notch 52 engages the roller ii in muchthe same manner that the notch 42 of the bracket portion 33 engages theroller in the structure of Figs. 1 to 5. The engagement is shown in Fig.7 of the drawings. It is of such a character that the le s arereleasably locked in the folded relationship. In this embodiment eachside rail of the seat has a lug 54 struck outwardly and upwardlytherefrom and which is adapted to engage over the link so as to restrainthe upward movement of the rear end of the seat when the chair is opento the occupant supporting position as shown in Fig. 5.

What I claim:

1. A folding chair of the Y-type comprising a pair of front legs, a seatpivot rod extending between said legs, a seat having side railssupported upon said rod, each side rail being slotted rearwardly of saidrod, a pair of rollers on the rod one between each side rail of the seatand the adjacent front legs, a pair of rear legs pivoted at their upperends to the front pair of legs to fold thereagainst or to be outspreadrearwardly therefrom, a bracket rigidly secured to each rear leg andprojecting forwardly therefrom and provided with a pivot slidablymounted within the slot of the adjacent side rail of the seat, saidbracket provided at its forward end with a notched portion adapted uponthe folding of said two pairs of legs together to enter the spacebetween the corresponding front leg and the adjacent side rail of theseat and to ride over the corresponding roller to bring its notch intoengagement with the roller to releasably lock said two pairs of legs infolded relationship.

2. A folding chair of the Y-type comprising a pair of front legs, a seatpivot rod extending between said legs, a seat having side railssupported upon said rod, said seat pivot rod having an exposed bearingbetween each front leg and the seat, a pair of rear legs pivoted attheir upper ends to the front pair of legs to fold thereagainst or to beoutspread rearwardly therefrom, a link pivotally connecting each rearleg with the adjacent side rail of the seat, said link having anupwardly projecting notched portion adapted upon the folding of said twopairs of legs together to enter the space between the correspondingfront leg and the adjacent side rail of the seat to bring its notch intoreleasable engagement with the exposed bearing of the seat pivot rod,said seat provided on each side with a projecting abutment adapted toengage the under side of the link on such side of the seat when thechair is unfolded.

3. A folding chair comprising a pair of uprights, a seat pivot rodextending therebetween, a seat having side rails and pivotally supportedupon said rod, said rod having a bearing at each end between the seatand the adjacent upright, a pair of rear legs pivoted at their upperends to the uprights to fold thereagainst or to be outspread therefrom,said two rear legs being spaced apart the same distance as the twouprights whereby each rear leg is disposed within the same fore and aftplane as its corresponding upright, a coupling element secured at oneend to each rear leg and extending forwardly toward the seat and movablycoupled at the opposite end with the adjacent side rail of the seat,said coupling element having a notched projecting portion adapted uponthe folding of the rear legs against the uprights to enter the spacebetween the side rail of the seat to which it is coupled and theadjacent upright and to ride underneath the corresponding bearing of theseat pivot rod exerting pressure upwardly thereon and to releasablyengage the same within said notch to releasably maintain the chair inthe folded relationship.

4. A folding chair comprising a pair of uprights, a seat pivotallysupported therebetween upon a pivot rod having an exposed bearing between each upright and the adjacent side of the seat, a pair of rearlegs pivoted at their upper ends to the uprights to fold thereagainst orto be outspread therefrom, a bracket secured at one end to each rear legand projecting forwardly therefrom and pivotally and slidably coupled atits opposite end with the adjacent side of the seat, the opposite end ofthe bracket having a notched portion adapted upon the folding of therear legs against the uprights to enter the space between the adjacentside rail of the seat and the corresponding upright with its notchengaging the bearing portion of the seat pivot.

GEORGE D. SCHERMERHORN.

